Gene Casey & The Lone Sharks

Gene Casey
The Old Mill, Mattituck, 6/7/08

Last night, Gene Casey and the Lone Sharks Two, a sawed-off, acoustic version of Long Island's coolest "rhythm & twang" combo (featuring Stan Mitchell beating the traps and Joe Lauro on upright and outasite bass) turned The Old Mill in Mattituck back into the rockin' speakeasy it once was. Usually, this local bar/restaurant plays host to a handful of grizzled fishermen bemoaning the diminishing shoals of stripers, (while some of us bemoan the diminishing shoals of strippers) but not this time. The noisy, packed, but appreciative bar patrons clapped, danced and hollered along to tunes originally written by Carl Perkins, Johnny Burnette, Johnny Cash, Bill Munroe, Doc Pomus and were treated to a particularly fine version of 'You Can't Judge A Book By Its Cover' reminding us all that America lost one of its finest sons last week, Bo Diddley. (Face it, how many people do you know have a beat named after them, eh?) Slipped in between were a few of Gene's originals and they stood up, proud, in such fine company. Particularly 'Who's Sharing The Moon', which could be a hit for Chris Isaak should his writing chops ever dry up. Find it on the brand new cd, 'What Happened' out now and available at Sharks' shows and (soon), their website. If Gene and The Lone Sharks - in ANY format, acoustic or electric - happen to be in your neighborhood and you need a shot of rhythm, blues, country or rockabilly, as the man himself says, 'If I Can Do It, (So Can You)'...